Rubber glove.



R. T. GRIFFITHS. RUBBER/GLOVE. V v APPLICATION FIL/ED JULY l0. i916. I 1,2%@270 Patented May-8,1917.

3 SHEEIS-SHET l.

@gli I @y mwemzm R. T. GRIFFITHS. RUBBER GLOVE.

APPLICATION man JULY lo, 19:6.

Patented May 8, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

5 .m ,/f( Q w m W fn@ F/ a, M

- www @KM Pw wf R. T. GRIFFITHS.

RUBBER GLOVE.

APPLlcAnoN man luLY lo. 191s.

Patented May 8; 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

hereinafter described and particularly UTTTTET STA PATENT @FFTEO LtTCEAEB T. GRIFFTTHS, 0F AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 THE MILLER RUBBER COM- PANE', 0F AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATON 0F OHIO.

RUBBER GLVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, T9117.

Application filed July 10, 1916. Serial No. 108,341.1.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, RICHARD T. Gnirrrrris, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Akron, Ohio, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Rubber Gloves, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements in rubber gloves and more especially to such gloves as are designed for use by electricians to prevent their receiving injurious shocks from contact with' live wires and the like, although not limited to such use. Prior to my invention'such gloves, so far as I am aware, have been manufactured by the process of dippinga properly shaped form simulating the hand in a rubber solution which adheres to the form and is subsequently vulcanized thereon, the requisite thickness of rubber upon the form being secured by repeated dippings.

This method has not been found to be altogether satisfactory, especially in gloves used by electricians, as it 1s absolutely impossible to preclude the entrapping of air or the formation of bubbles in the deposited layers, especially between the fingers and at the finger extremities; such blisters or imperfections being liable to permit the passage of electric currents, giving the workman severe shocks or burns. Tt is furthermore difficult in the manufacture of dipped gloves to thicken the gloves at the points where Vmost strength or thickness is required.

Tn producing a molded glove considerable difficulty is experienced, owing to the shape of the article to be priduced, in that the thumb must be positioned in opposition to the fingers and spaced therefrom to produce a satisfactory article and the material cannot be poured into the mold in the form of a fluid, as in metal founding, but must be applied in the form of sheets of unvulcanized rubber compound as it comes fromrthe rubber calenders.

My present invention provides a glove of a strong, durable and homogeneous character, and free from the defects which have heretoforen existed in articles of this character.

The invention includes the novel artile ned by the appended claim.

rThe invention will be explained by the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an inside face view of one of the main mold sections adapted for the production of my improved glove.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the inside face of the other mold section.

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively views of the opposite faces of an intermediate mold section, Fig. 3 showing the face which, when in assembled position, abuts against the face of the section shown in Fig. l, and Fig. 4 showing the face which, in assembled position, abuts against the face of the mold section shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a face view of the core.

Figs. 6 to l1 are plan views of the pieces of sheet rubber 0r blanks which I have found by experience to be a convenient and, in fact, my preferred manner of applying the rubber to the mold.

Referring first to the apparatus for molding the glove, this, as shown in the drawings, comprises four parts numbered respectively 1, 2, 3k and fi. The part indicated at 2 is the core part which has a portion shaped to correspond to the hand with the thumb opposed to the forefinger but spaced therefrom, this core having a flat end portion 2 designed to be clamped between corresponding parts la and 4a of the mold sections 1 and 4l so as to hold thevcore properly spaced from the cavities in the mold sections. The mold sections l and eta are provided with pins or projections 1* and 4b which engage corresponding recesses 2b in the base of the core to secure proper alinement. Moldc section l has a main cavity, indicated at 6, shaped to form the palm portion of the hand and wrist and the corresponding portions of the little and ring fingers and of half of the middle finger as shown, and it will be noted that the portion which forms the thumbis depressed below the finger bearing portion of the mold section, lying, as it does, in a cut-away pcrtionlc of the mold section, This cut-away portion is occupied by the section 3. For convenience in description, T will refer to the mold section l as the bottom section and the mold section i as the top section. The under face of the intermediate, or supplemental section 3, which ts against the recessed face 1, is

- form the provided with a thumb recess, as shown, which cooperates with the thumb forming 'recess of the mold section 1. The'upper face of the section 3 bears the remaining portion of the middle finger forming recess and also the recess for the index finger, so that when the section S isfin'place upon the section 1 its upper face lies in the same plane as the portion ofthe section 1 which bears the finger grooves and completes the lower half of the finger forming portion.

The thumb recess in theunder face of the section 3 forms the balance of the thumb, 'while the under `face of the top section 4 of the mold is 'properly shaped .to form the back of the hand and wrist. To secure proper alinement of the mold sections, the under face of section 3 is provided with a rib 3X whichy is designed-to engage a corresponding'groove lX in the section 1 and is providedl also with holes or recesses 3y 'whichare engaged by pins 1y in the mold section 1. The opposite or upper face is likewise provided with a rib 3, which is 'designed to engage a corresponding groove 4z in the under face of the section 4, and the openings 3y pass completely through the section 3 and aline with corresponding openings 4x in the section 4 which allows the pin 1y to connect allthree sections. One or more other pins 1d may be provided on one of the sections, such as the bottom section 1, for engaging a corresponding opening or recess 4 in the section 4.

As `heretofore stated, it is desirable to sheets of suitable rubber compound and by that I mean crude rubber mixed withr the necessary vulcanizing material, such as sulfur, and such other ingredients as are found desirable, such sheets being unvulcanized and hence in a plastic condition. Owing, however, to the peculiar shape of the article to be molded, I have found it inexpedient, or inconvenient, to use two sheetsforming the opposite halves of the glove. The most. convenient and effective method which I have found for using my improved mold is to cut from a sheet of rubber compound six pieces of the shape shown in Figs. 6 to 11 inclusive, comprising two main sections, one of which resembles generally in shape the back of a mitten and theother the palm portion of a mitten, but with the finger portion thereof considerably narrower than the corresponding-portion of the (other section. For convenience and illustration and to facilitate the understanding of my invention, I have indicated in dotted lines the position of the several pieces of rubber on the mold sections as they would appear before the mold sections are assembled. From this it will appear that the piece a is laid upon the mold part 1, as-indicated by said dotted lines. The core part 2 is then laid glove from previously calendered in proper position upon the part 1 and the small piece of rubber b is pressed against the inside of the thumb portion of the core in a position indicated by dotted line in Fig. 5. K The other small piece c is placed at the extremity of the thumb cavity of the mold section 3 and this mold section 3 is then placed in position between the thumb portion of the core 2 and the mold section 1. The face, or side, of the mold section 3, shown in Fig. 4, will now be uppermost and the pieces of rubber d and e are placed over this in the position indicated by the dotted lines. The piece or section f is then placed A1n proper position overlying the back of the core, though, for convenience in illustrating its position, I have placed a dotted line showing it on the mold section in Fig.'

2. The mold section 4 is then applied in position and the completely assembled mold is placed in a hydraulic press where it is subjected to heat and pressure for vulcanizing in the ordinary manner.

It will be understood that while I have described certain specific pieces as what I regard as the most convenient and expeditious manner of forming the glove, I do not Wish to be limited to this particular number of. pieces or their exact shape.

When the heat and pressure is applied and before the vulcanization has actually proceeded, thev first action of the heat is to soften the rubber and the pressure causes it to flow or distribute itself so that all portions of the space between the core and the mold are filled and the edges of the separate pieces come into intimate and homogeneous relation, so that when the vulcanization is complete the resultant article is a complete and homogeneous glove. By reason of its being vulcanized under strong pressure, the glove is absolutely free from blisters or imperfections of any kind.

To secure the best results, a slight excess of rubber necessarily results and to provide for the escape of this, the mold sections are provided with grooves or channels, indicated at 5, which areparallel with the edge of the finger and wrist portions as shown, and into which channels the excessof softened rubber is crowded when the pressure is applied.

In a glove especlally deslgned for the use of electricians, it is desirable to have the inside of the thumb and fingers and the palm portion, or in other words the grasping part-of the glove, thicker than the remaining parts. To accomplish this, I slightly rabbet the corresponding portions ofthe mold sections, and said portions are also preferably roughened, as indicated at 6a, which produces a correspondingly roughened surface in the completed glove and enables the user to grasp articles more firmly than with the smooth rubberA surface. l

Mold section 3 is preferably provided united and vulcanized by mold orfde pres- With a handle, indicated at 7, to `facilitate sure.

its insertion into position. In testimony whereof l 215x my Signature. 10

Having thus described my invention RICHARD T. GRIFFITHS. 5 what I claim is Witnesses:

A vulcanized rubber glove made of edge C. A. WOLF,

joined blanks of uneured rubber sheeting C. E. ROBERTS. 

